Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. The character of Skye belongs to MusicSoundsMySoul 14 and is used with permission. The character of Roselite belongs to Alisa-Prototype01 and is used with permission. The characters of Zoey, Chris and Wolf belong to NikolaiEvans115 and are used with permission.
Intro Image:
Six silhouetted figures are seen standing before a field, the apparent leader standing atop a large boulder. The leader holds a shimmering silver blade in their hand and the other hand rests limply beside them. The other five figures are standing and staring out at the landscape, their weapons hidden from view. The view around them is an open field with lush, green grass. There is a weeping willow tree a few feet away, and a few horses can be seen lying beneath it. A flag with Shinigami-Sama's mask on it whips in the wind on a large wooden pole a few feet away from the big boss.
Chapter Twenty One: Living Legends
Soul and the others had needed to pack a lot less than they'd expected, given the nature of their trip. One thing that had been interesting to the group, however, was Soul's decision to take along Maka's precious kitten Calanthe. They all stared at him when he walked over, dragging his suitcase with one hand and carrying her in her cat carrier. "What?" He asked flatly with a scowl.
"Do you really need to bring the fluffy avenger with you?" Black*Star asked with a scowl. He was mostly just moody because a few days ago the cat had attacked him when he walked into Soul's room without looking and stepped on her tail. Needless to say, his ankles were riddled with scabbing bites and claw marks.
"He has a point. Someone here at the base could take care of her," Spirit chimed in calmly.
"Calanthe needs a lot of attention and doesn't adjust to strangers too well. Since she doesn't know very many other people here in the base it's just easier for me to bring her," He said simply. He then nodded his head toward the little pet, which was being strangely silent for an animal in a cage. "Besides, she's pretty cool with the whole thing. She won't be a problem so why do you all care?"
"Whatever then," Liz shrugged, leaning down and wagging a finger at the little fuzz ball. She grinned widely. "She's a cutie pie anyway. So, what airport are we going through?" She asked while standing back up.
"None," Kid said calmly. He looked at his watch and then toward the hallway. "We're going to be taking the private jet kept below the base." Everyone gasped in excitement at this little turn of events. The private jet was only used for extremely important missions! And none of the kids from the newer Nevada base had ever gotten to ride on the private jet (except maybe Kid)! "Father said that he wants us to get their as quickly as possible, to resume training with the Italian group that'll be working with us for this."
"Doesn't that seem sort of… I don't know, excessive?" Tsubaki asked meekly, holding her hand up lightly. All eyes turned to her and she tensed up. "Well, think about it; it's going to be our squad, plus the four remaining members of the Nevada squad Medusa worked with, as well as the group in the Italian headquarters. Just our squad as it is now, all of us that are flying out tonight, is already in the double digits. Also take into account that we've never really gone on missions with our teachers and that means our teamwork alone will be rather shaky. Add in six more individuals and that just adds more to the mess."
"She has a point," Soul added on, scowling at the thought. Though he liked the idea of getting Maka back using skill and strength to outsmart the traitor that had her, he could see the problems that would arise. If one person from either team misinterpreted so much as one gesture, one look, one twitch of a finger and someone could end up dead. He assumed that Shinigami-Sama wanted to try and lose as few agents as he could in the efforts to get back the three hostages. So, how did this make sense?
Kami snorted and shook her head, hands on her hips. "You really are a bunch of children, aren't you?" She sneered lightly, eyes flickering with superiority.
"What the Hell did you just say, you old hag?" Black*Star snarled lowly, glaring at her furiously. She flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder and looked at a certain inky haired woman.
"Care to explain, Yumi?" She invited, holding a hand out to the still bemused teenagers. The other woman sighed lightly and pushed her glasses up on her nose, lips twisted down in her usual scowl.
"If you are not in the mood to, yourself," She said evenly. The other held her hands up in mock surrender so she nodded her head. "Well, it is all about having as much intelligence as we possibly can. Medusa knows things about the inner workings of Shibusen that only agents should have the privilege to, but we know very little about her facilities. Thus, the Italian base will be most familiar with the basic terrain of the area that leads to her hideout. On top of that, the Italian base is run by one of the Seven Living Legends; those agents will have addition skills that dabble in fields we don't typically focus on. Thus, they'll be a touch more cut-throat than your typical agent. They are put through much more strain than any other agents at any other base, after all.
On top of that, there is power in numbers. Medusa will be anticipating our arrival, and I doubt she'll be coming at us unprepared. She'll have found members in her own organization that will test our limitations and challenge our resolve. While our main priority is to get back our three hostages, our opponents will be geared more toward killing us as quickly as possible. Therefore, if we can, it is better to not go into combat alone. We're going to have to assign teams for this and, whether you like it or not, you'll have to stick with them."
"That does make sense," Kid commented, cupping his chin in one hand and nodding his head slightly. Patty grinned and hugged the older woman eagerly, nuzzling into her shoulder.
"Miss Yumi has always been so smart!" She beamed happily. The older woman smiled, dark eyes softening, as she ruffled the other's hair.
"Thank you, Patricia," She said delicately. She turned her attention back to Kid, whom was again checking his watch. "For now, however, I would focus more on getting out there on time."
"Follow me," Kid said, picking his bag back up and leading them along. Kami set her hand on the other woman's shoulder, looking at her with her brow furrowed in concern.
"Yumi, why didn't you tell the full story?" She asked softly. The other looked over at the smiling faces of her adopted daughters'. They had seen hardship, but still they could smile and laugh and be happy in this world. She felt her heart stirring like it always did when they were involved. Oh, how very much she loved these girls. It was painful as she then remembered the words their boss had spared them before they left. No, she shouldn't burden them with those concerns at this point.
"It will only hinder their performances if they were to know the expectations of this mission," She said before shrugging the other woman off and marching after them. Green eyes darkened in fear as she remembered Shinigami-Sama's parting orders.
"I hate to have to say this to you four, given how many successes you have brought our organization over the years, but… If any of you should get seriously injured on this mission… I want you to take one another out. If you take that much damage in a fight against Medusa and her team, it would be a waste of resources to try and save you; you'll be goners no matter what anyone does,"
Despite the generality of the words, she wondered why she felt those words had been directed specifically at everyone in the group except Franken Stein.
…
They were sincerely surprised at how little trouble they had getting themselves settled in. They were showed to their rooms by a secretary to the head man, told to rest up and that they would be woken up in the morning for formal introductions to be handled. So after everyone recovered from the jet-lag, they awoke bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and eager to meet their new teammates.
They were led to a large conference room. It looked like the kind of thing you would see in an executive building; it was large, with the walls painted a plain old eggshell white. The carpeting was one of those generic designs typical in hotels, what with the random shapes and loud colors, as if aiming to add character to the room. There was a large meeting table made of cherry wood oak with twenty black leather computer chairs at them. The largest one was at the opposite end of the table from the entrance and was also turned, so that the figure seated in it could not be seen. The five chairs to the immediate right and left of the largest chair were filled by four new faces.
Three young women sat to the right, and two young men to the left. "Take a seat, if you will," One of the girls said calmly. She was leaning forward in her seat, folding a piece of paper into a little triangle. She peered at them briefly, stunning aquamarine eyes flashing from behind a curtain of redish locks. Her hair seemed to be red, though it shimmered a light orange in the right light, accented more by the white highlight work done on the tips. "Not much to look at, really. The feared Albarns', I mean." She held the little paper triangle up between her index finger and the table, closed one eye, and focused on the young man sitting across from her.
She suddenly flicked it and smacked him square in the forehead, causing his eyes to snap up in alarm. She fell into giggles, a hand clapped over her mouth, while the male sitting next to him guffawed outright. "Real mature, Zoey!" The victim snapped suddenly, yanking his little black ear buds from his ears. The Nevada team, now settled into their seats, could vaguely hear a harsh and fast guitar solo being shredded through coming from the speakers. His eyes were flickering with rage, appearing to be a dark blue with tints of green to it. The others weren't sure if this was natural, or just because of the slivers of light that slipped through his tawny bangs.
"Aw, stop whining already, Chris! You sound like a total bitch!" Laughed the other male, seeming to start to calm back down. He had locks a hue between bronze and gold. What alarmed the newcomers, however, were the dirty bandages covering the right side of his face. He suddenly blinked, one visible eye gleaming an inky black with mischief, and grinned like the Cheshire cat. "Oh, and you forgot to put on your eyeliner, by the way!" Another spill of chortles erupted from the young woman and male, while the dark haired one scowled.
"You guys can go fuck yourselves!" He barked out bitterly before yanking his headphones back into place. He cranked the volume up even louder now; so much so that it could be faintly heard and his headphones could be seen vibrating slightly. The young girl seated to the left of the first of the group to speak suddenly gasped and looked at her teammates in alarm, seeming to forget about the neon pink nail polish she'd been in the process of applying.
"Rosie heard Chris use a swear! Skye, Wolf is being a bully again!" She gasped loudly, leaning forward to face the last girl whom had yet to speak. Her large amethyst spheres were shimmering in a mix between concern and amusement. An extremely long coral pony tail draped over her shoulders and rested atop the desk. She appeared to be about the age of the current Nevada team, with a generous bosom and perhaps a little shorter than Patty. The last member of the team shifted, a small squeak coming from her chair, before she let out a small noise of annoyance.
"Do us a favor and quiet yarself up a touch, Wolfie lad," The other woman suddenly chimed in, an Irish accent alerting all attention to her. While the others appeared to be in their early teens, she was clearly the oldest. She was wearing a mask of indifference as she leaned back in her chair, casually polishing a silver pistol. Her eyes were a similar dark brown-black hue as the male she was addressing, whom just seemed annoyed with her now. The faint pale outline of a scar ran from her left eyebrow and trailed down until the very bottom of her bottom lid. Her hair was cut to her shoulders in a choppy, layered bob that had some die work done to it; the top being a vivid crimson hue while the bottom slipped into a midnight black tint. The last things the group noted were the many piercings she had, specifically the snake bites, and the leather studded bracelets on her wrists. "Me intuition thinks you are freaking out our new little guests."
"You don't need to lie to me, Skye," He hummed lightly. He laced his fingers behind his head, lips turned up in a wide grin. "You just can't resist my charm, can you? I mean, why else would you give me a pet name?"
"I call ya Wolfie lad because that's all yar; a foolish little mutt with a bigger bark than bite," She said simply. He twitched but kept his grin in place. She then nodded her head toward the boy with the headphones, whom had been referred to as Chris. "Chris, pet, if ya don't put yar brother on a leash there shall be an Ole' Yeller incident on our hands."
"Feel free. I've always wondered what being an only child would be like," Chris grumbled out before sinking lower into his seat. The older boy winked at Skye, as she was known, but she merely quirked an eyebrow at him. Her gaze focused back on her gun and the cloth she was using to completely restore the shine to the tool.
"Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling (1)," Skye sang in a light, taunting air, looking at her gun instead of the others surrounding them.
"Anyway," The other girl, Zoey they remembered her being called, chimed in while clearing her throat, "I think introductions are due at this point. To start, I'm Zoey. I'm the blades expert on this team."
"Call me Skye. I'm the sharp shooter 'round here so ya best be up to snuff. I won't be doin' any of that hand-holding, sissy stuff they offer ya in Nevada," The other woman cut in quickly, her eyes glinting sharp with the seriousness of her words. Liz contemplated standing up and defending her honor as a quick shot but decided against it. She didn't want to create any unnecessary misgivings, what with them being the outsiders in this case.
"Rosie is the fighter in the group. Ah, well, Rosie means she's the one who fights with her fists and not a weapon," The chipper young woman with the candy colored locks added in with a delicate yet cheerful tone of voice. She settled back into her seat and screwed the lid back onto her nail polish, not wanting anything to distract her now that they were getting into business.
"I'm Wolf, and I have a bad tendency to lead the lovely ladies to sin," The blonde male beamed, glancing up with an innocent smile on his lips. Patty started giggling, a faint blush on her cheeks, before falling silent when all eyes landed on her in alarm. He then ruffled the tousled, shaggy head of hair belonging to the other. "And this little emo duck is by wittle brother, Chris. He's the best hacker and bomb technician in this hemisphere. Aren't you, Chrissie-Kins?" He cooed mockingly.
He was greeted with a fist smacking him in the forehead. "Back off!" Chris snapped angrily, apparently done with playing the role of victim. "Why do you always have to be such an insufferable ass?"
Wolf opened his mouth to speak when all of a sudden there was a small squeak. The chair started to turn and all four other agents suddenly went blank in the face. Just as the Nevada agents saw the face of the Italian base leader, their new teammates declared one word in unison with the head man that had them all baffled:
"Fools!"
The figure of the leader was now standing on the table, a cane pointed dramatically in the air toward the newcomers. They were all horrified as they realized that he was not a human; he looked like some kind of Pokémon wearing dapper clothes to add some sort of sophistication to his presented form! Chris was suddenly shifting through his iPod, frantically trying to find a song loud enough to block out their leader. "Hey, Chris, gimme one of those!" Wolf said, leaning over to yank one from his brother. The other pushed his chair away slightly.
"No! You can just deal with it for being a fucking dick!" The other snarled lowly. Meanwhile, the girls seemed to be handle things with more… Dignity, to say the least.
"Got any bullets with you? We could try the whole murder-suicide thing," Zoey recommended calmly, an eyebrow quirked at the older woman. Skye snickered lightly.
"That or we could jus' kill the boss, but I am tapped out, 'fraid to say," Skye said casually.
"Damn," The other sighed with a small snap of her fingers. She then glanced at their boss, who was walking across the table to the poor, unsuspecting Nevada squad. "Well, at least he won't be in our faces this time. I do feel bad for the poor bastards, though." Rosie made a small noise of agreement while reopening her bottle of polish. It seemed she would need the distraction after all.
"Poor things don't stand a chance," The other agreed, though she was grinning a bit. Though Skye would never admit it, she had to admit it was nice to see their boss get up in someone else's business for once. They all had developed a fondness for their… interesting leader, though he did wear on their patience from time to time. While they had all suffered through the training regimen of the Great Excalibur, she had been informed that Shinigami-Sama himself did not handle any of the training of his new recruits.
Thus, the rookies to Italy were left unprepared. And, admittedly, their teachers were quite amused by the show they were awarded with. Black*Star and Kid proved to be surprisingly good adversaries to their boss, what with being able to stand up to him and last a few bouts of verbal back and forth before slinking back in fear and confusion. Excalibur was a force to be reckoned with both on and off the battlefield, as his team knew. And, after feeling that the others had received a proper crash course in the rules of the Italian boss, Skye intervened and suggested they all go and get themselves some food. Excalibur, apparently finding this a suitable recommendation, was the first to leave, swinging his cane and singing a song of his own praises.
"In case ya lot can't tell, means the boss likes ya," Skye said calmly while shoving her gun into an all black holster on a black belt she was wearing. Soul and the others stared at her as if she was insane before she quirked an eyebrow. "Me words are only the truth as I see it." She said before turning and heading off.
"Skye's our squad leader, so you're probably going to want to just trust everything she says," Zoey recommended calmly. She then glanced at them with a small smile. "So, are you going to be helping us get back Miss Marie and Little Frankie?"
"You knew Marie?" Yumi asked in slight alarm. Though Marie hadn't been assigned a specific base after her split from Stein (a personal request, Yumi was later informed) the other had never expressed having been to the Italian base before her arrival to try and track Medusa's base down.
"Miss Marie would come by this base a lot in the last three years and helped some of us perfect our skills," Chris joined in calmly. He then shrugged. "She typically got on better with Zoey, Rosie and Skye – probably because girls have more in common with one another – but she was a nice enough woman. Her son was sort of weird, though."
"Like you're one to talk," Wolf snorted, snickering at his younger sibling. He was given a one-finger salute from the other before he started to march away again. "Hey, you can't walk away from me!" He said while chasing after him.
"You'll have to excuse Wolf; he's not normally… Okay, he normally is just that obnoxious," The female amended, "but he's a nice guy once you get to know him. He just likes to give Chris a hard time since they really are brothers. Some sibling rivalry stuff, I guess." Rosie flashed a quickly smile at the Nevada arrivals before pursuing the two men.
"Soul would know all about that; I mean, his brother did walk in on him and his ex-girlfriend doing the mattress mambo and he teases him about it every time he gets the chance," Black*Star said with a large grin. Said albino's cheeks flamed to life and he gawked at his now howling best friend.
"How the Hell do you know about that?" He roared angrily. Tsubaki and the others were all smirking, giggling, or blushing with nervous grins at this point. Only Zoey was left with as confused as the male who addressed them.
"Blair told us before she and Wesley left to go back to California," Tsubaki said in that constantly sweet tone of hers. Even when playing barrier of bad news she could make things seem less horrific and humiliating. "She was really proud and she just wanted to share her excitement."
"That woman… She's going to be the death of me," Soul groaned lowly, massaging his temples before slumping off in the direction the others had headed off toward. Zoey shook her head and headed up after him, leading the others along.
Liz and Kid walked a ways behind the others so that they could have a conversation that was utmost importance. After all, they didn't want the others to know about everything. "My father wanted me to make sure you are okay with accepting this mission and all it entails," Kid said calmly. She looked at him with narrowed eyes, as if daring him to ask her again. "I know, but my father was worried that you'd be afraid after everything you suffered through at the hands of Maka's alter ego. Also, are you sure you want us to bring her back in one piece? After what she did?"
"Mars and Maka aren't the same person," Liz sighed lightly. She then shook her head, lips twisted downward in a scowl. "Maka is my friend and would never do that. Maka's the girl who Soul loves, she's the girl who can knock Black*Star out with a book, and yet still keep up with Patty and I in regards to looking good. She's the only person I can see as the last member of our team and the thought of killing her is just… It makes me angry. She's not a rabid dog in yet everyone talks about it like that!"
"You are right that she isn't a rabid dog but there is the issue of her being a bigger threat than a dog," He argued lightly. His eyes were trained on her and she could see the uncertainty in those golden spheres. "I just… I want to be sure that you are sure. There's a heightened risk of death with this mission and I don't want you getting hurt."
Stormy blue eyes softened on him before she gave his shoulder a small punch. "Oh, come on! You're making it sound like I'm some delicate little flower! I'm an agent just the same as-"She fell silent when he pulled her to him, one of his arms around her shoulders and his head turned to hide his face in the top of her hair. She could feel her ears burning and knew she was blushing.
"I know," He said meekly and his voice was wavering. Her heart skipped a beat at the terror that shined through despite those simply two words. She had seen Kid mad, (comically) devastated and indifferent but never had she seen him truly scared. "I know that I should trust my knowledge in the dependability of your skills. But, for some reason, my brain hasn't been agreeing with me much as of late. My gut… My gut feeling is that something bad could happen to you if I am not sure that you are sure. I don't know if it's fear from what Mars did to you last time, or just some kind of fear since you're one of the most important people in my life, but… I have never been this truly scared before. I don't like it and I just want to end it."
"Kid," She said softly, feeling a smile worm up on her lips, "it's okay to be scared. This whole mission… It's a really scary thing for all of us. But I promise that I will be okay. Last time Mars got me off-guard and unarmed; on top of that, it was her and Ragnarok against me with all those other handicaps piled on.. I know better than to let that happen again. After all, if I kicked the bucket, who would keep Patty from totally demolishing the symmetry of your room?" She giggled when she felt him tense lightly at her last sentence.
"She has tried to do that before?" He asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, but I always get her to stop," She commented casually. Suddenly Kid was out of grasp and fast approaching her younger sibling. If not for her quick wit, Liz would have face-planted to the floor. Instead, she merely stepped forward wobbly a bit before righting herself.
"Patty Thompson, how dare you think of disturbing the symmetrical tranquility of my bedroom!" He declared loudly.
The sandy blonde he had left behind merely shook her head and smiled. "Well, at least he's being normal now," She mused to herself merrily. She jogged lightly to catch up and defuse the situation between her sister and friend, feeling less annoyed by the task than usual.
…
"Mars," Medusa trailed with a deep scowl on her lips, "I need you to tell me the weaknesses of those agents Maka worked with. They are no doubt going to be sent here to retrieve her body and I need to properly prepare a squad to take them out." Things in Medusa's base had been changing lightly, and not in a good way in her opinion. Ever since Mars returned from her mission to Japan with Masamune Nakatsukasa, the young man in question played the role of lapdog to her. Mars herself was becoming more sloth-like, lounging around in different rooms and acting more like a settled housecat than the wild beast Medusa intended her to be.
The biggest problem to the scientist, however, was that Mars wouldn't follow the smallest of orders.
"I can hold my own in battle, Ragnarok's a powerhouse, you've got tons of cannon fodder and now we have Masamune-Kun to handle taking out two of the biggest hitters in the squad," Mars said with a low whine. The young man in question was currently poised to the right of the chair Mars was spread out along. She was lying in the chair sideways, her feet dangling off one side. In her hands she was playing with one of those cheap, Chinese finger traps one could get with tickets at a pizza parlor. "As long as he has a katana, Masamune can handle Tsubaki and her bumbling bodyguard, Black*Star, as easily as he could take down a pair of crying toddlers. Ragnarok can handle those Thompson brats easily enough, and you can have Free or Eruka handle Death the Kid. There, everything is all put together."
"And what about Soul Evans?" Medusa asked with a small smirk. She saw Mars' right hand tense and start to shiver. Though the young woman would never admit it, her hold over Maka's body wasn't as stable as she wanted. Though Maka had submitted to the other's power Mars was still pretty weak herself. She was adjusting fast to handling the human shell and making it work how so wanted (though the added effects of the black blood did come in handy when she had a little "accident") but sometimes Maka's presence could be pulled to the forefront against either ones wishes.
"He's dead," She barked out, vert orbs glinting threateningly. If Medusa had any sense, she would have known to be afraid. However, she felt she was in control simply because she was the one who created the other. "Ragnarok made sure of that before we arrived here, remember? You were right there. Though, I wouldn't blame you if you forgot; you are climbing up there in years."
Amber eyes narrowed in rage. How dare her creation speak down to her like that? Ragnarok knew his place, so why didn't Mars? Was it a lack of proper training? "We are not certain about that," She responded coldly. She knew saying this would set Mars off farther (and possibly ruin everything she'd spent the last few months trying to get in order) but she didn't care. Mars was going to learn to obey Medusa like the loyal dog she was bred to be. "We no longer have anyone on the inside and he may be alive and well. And, since he was a member of that team as well as Maka's lover, he could be a big threat."
"If he is alive than I shall take care of him," She scoffed, twirling her hand in a bored circle. Medusa snorted and held up a huge stack of manila folders. "What are those?" Mars asked with a quirked eyebrow. Without being told, Masamune walked over, took them from the older woman, and handed them to the younger.
"Free and Eruka are two of my best soldiers. I am not going to risk wasting their lives in the effort to snuff out Shibusen in a place we'll have the upper hand," She explained coldly. Mars didn't so much as crack open a single file before she dropped them deliberately on the floor. Papers fluttered out and scattered everywhere. "Those are documents about some of our more talented agents that I do not mind wasting. Masamune shall take on Tsubaki, and Soul will be your problem, but I want you to build a team with four more agents to take care of the Nevada base squad, as well as another squad of seven to handle any other stragglers Shibusen sends to help them. I will expect your list ready by tomorrow afternoon."
With that, Medusa stormed from the large office she had given the other woman to work with. She made sure to slam the door.
"Do you want me to take care of her, Mistress?" Masamune asked with his gaze trapped on the door. His face was blank but his eyes were set in a glare, glinting alive with fury and blood lust. She smirked at the look in her servant's eyes but shook her head and sat up.
"The time will come soon enough, Masamune-Kun," She said patiently. She stood up, stretched, and approached the full body mirror she had attached to the wall next to the door. She looked at herself, grasping at the elbow of her right arm with her left hand to try and stop the shakes.
It wasn't that Maka was even trying to take charge; in fact, it was the exact opposite! Ever since Maka surrendered all power to Mars her presence was untraceable on the inside. She must have found a nice little crack somewhere in the delicate depths of her mind to just pretend not to exist, and it suited Mars just fine. As long as Maka didn't fight she could stay in check pretty well.
The only problem was that if Maka's memories played up too much, pushed too far to the surface, that treacherous heart would force the real Maka back out.
This problem, Mars had decided, stemmed from the difference in how she had been raised. Whereas Ragnarok was constantly forced to the forefront, it was difficult for Chrona to hold fast to the body they were forced to share. Medusa had taken the time to nurture and strengthen the insanity and thirst for blood she created inside her son. Maka's parents had raised her in a completely opposing environment. They had raised her with love and only been harsh or strict when it was necessary. Shibusen had introduced the true art of violence to Maka, and been the trigger that allowed Mars the ability to struggle forth. And now, with how terribly Maka herself had been treated since coming here, she allowed Mars full reign.
However, there was still a small sliver of hope deep in Maka, whether she embraced it or not, that Maka herself could still be with those people that she loved.
And suddenly, Mars was thrust back and memories from Maka's life flashed before her eyes. She saw Maka's parents, arguing and screaming in the sliver of space between a lightly cracked kitchen door. She saw the words of some book that the other must have found interesting. She saw Black*Star, screaming and writhing on the ground with the clamps of a taser attached to his eyes. She saw Kid sobbing on the ground while Liz tried to cheer him up. She saw Patty teaching Maka how to properly develop a smoke bomb. She saw Tsubaki talking about her childhood on a plane. Next came Blair, shoving Maka into a lovely black evening gown and gushing excitedly over the whole situation.
And then, so much of Soul. Soul Evans smirking at her while she thrashed against a belt that had been made into handcuffs. Soul standing in her doorway with a teasing smirk on his lips. Soul laughing at her, dancing with her, looking at her with so much love in those strangely colored eyes. Soul looking away in clear pain, Soul easing in to kiss her, Soul leaning close to whisper to her while they were trapped in the throes of passion.
And then, when Mars forced her eyes open, she was staring at the terrified face of Maka Albarn in the mirror right before control was returned to her. Mars' fists clenched at her sides and she stared breathing hard. She let out an animalistic scream and smashed her fist into the mirror, causing it to shatter. She did not, however, stop there; when she looked down she could still traces of Maka in her own face. She continued screaming as she ripped the remaining glass from the frame of the mirror, not caring as cut after cut broke apart her tender flesh. And then she dropped to her knees and continued smashing the shards of glasses that lay on the floor until she felt the weight of a hand on her shoulder.
She looked up, eyes still wild, to see Masamune crouching beside her. "She's gone, Mistress," He said evenly. She gulped loudly and then nodded, figure still shaking from the fury that had ripped through her. "I shall go get the tweezers from the desk so that we can remove the glass, and your wounds may heal." He said while slowly rising back up.
"Thank you, Masamune-Kun," She said softly, watching him head toward the mahogany desk poised beside her large arm chair. She smirked as her shakes started to slow back down and she felt more at ease in her skin. "You certainly are working to prove you deserve your revenge."
"But of course," He said simply, opening the drawer and starting to look around. His own lips twisted up into a smirk that matched her own. "It is also a pleasure to serve such a successful assassin as yourself, My Lady."
Mars laughed and turned her attention back to the piles of broken glass. One look at it, and she wished she had not looked down. Yes, she had totally demolished the rather expensive piece of decor she had to fight to get. After all, Medusa had not seen the practicality of the item, but that was not what frightened her. That was not what had made her heart skid to a harsh stop and frozen her lungs mid-breath.
What unnerved her was that every single piece of shattered glass, as well as a patch of carpet under the broken shards, was covered in thick, sticky, wet and red blood.
Exactly how much control did Mars really have over Maka's body?
End
(1) Danny Boy – Danny Boy is a traditional Irish song about a son dying while away at war, and the grief of his mother upon his passing. I'm not sure if having Skye sing was completely in character but (since I should explain, so you understand it's purpose here) she was using the song less in its actual context and more as a taunt toward Wolf. I hope that was okay with the two lovely people who gave me permission to use their characters. :D
Notes:
If you weren't expecting Excalibur you really should have seen it coming. Just sayin'. :T
Much love to MusicSoundsMySoul 14 for use of her character Skye Elliott, Alisa-Prototype01 for use of her character Roselite James and NikolaiEvans115 for letting me use his characters Chris, Zoey, and Wolf and . I had a ton of fun getting to write all these characters (specifically, I liked getting to be snarky with their interactions. Oh, how I love the snark~!), though I am not so sure I wrote Skye's accent (which I did research to try and get perfect) very well (plus, you know, the whole line of song thing). On top of that, I had forgotten to double-check on group roles with NikolaiEvans115 so I sort of took a shot in the dark based on how he himself wrote them in his own story and their personalities. I hope the creative liberties I took were okay with you both, and if not I am terribly sorry. :T I suck like that, though! :D And I think the interactions with Excalibur would be right… Right? :'D
Updated my profile with a whole bunch of info so you lot can know why updates may be a touch delayed.
Next Chapter:
Actions with the mission start up. Things get a little dicey back at the main Shibusen base when there's more trouble from the enemy; however, Shinigami-Sama is a boss for a reason. Be prepared for some blood and other pleasantries, ladies and gents! :I